VIEW THE LETTER

This is the letter that was sent earlier this week to Latino voters telling them that if they are an immigrant, voting could result in jail time. Foreign-born U.S. citizens have the same voting rights as native born citizens.

Although the letterhead says it was sent by a Huntington Beach anti-illegal immigration group, the founder of that organization says it is not her group's letter head and that they did not send the letter. State and federal investigations instead are focusing on the Tan D. Nguyen, Republican candidate in the 47th Congressional District. Thursday Nguyen said a campaign worker sent the letter without his knowledge and that the worker had been fired. Orange County Republican leaders called for Nguyen to step down.

View the letter.(PDF: Adobe Acrobat required to view) All personal information has been redacted, and an English translation is on the second page.

Other voting shenanigans in O.C.

1988: Local GOP posts uniformed guards on Assembly candidate Curt Pringle's behalf at polls in Hispanic precincts to intimidate voters. The party paid a $400,000 settlement for the action.

1997: After losing his congressional seat to Democrat Loretta Sanchez by fewer than 1,000 votes, Republican Bob Dornan charges that votes cast by immigrants who registered before becoming citizens cost him the election. An investigation finds 743 such ballots.

2006: County election officials investigate complaints from hundreds of Democratic voters whose registrations were changed to Republican by workers paid up to $7 for each GOP registration.

— Michael Doss,The Register

Condemnation of an intimidating mailer from congressional candidate Tan Nguyen's campaign swelled Thursday, as state investigators continued interviews in the county and the U.S. Justice Department joined the probe.

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer told Nguyen's opponent, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, that details should become clearer in the next few days and that his office "would be making arrests," Sanchez said.

Nguyen, a Republican, said Thursday that a campaign worker helped put out the letter without his knowledge and that she had been fired. He called the letter, which targeted immigrant voters, "flawed and ill-conceived."

But Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh didn't believe Nguyen's denial and continued to call for him to bow out of the race.

"I've learned that Mr. Nguyen was involved in expediting that mailer," Baugh said. "I've had conversations with the attorney general and folks involved with the mail house. He called the mail house himself and told them to expedite the mailing."

Nguyen, who said Thursday morning that he was scheduled to meet with investigators later in the day, did not return subsequent calls seeking response to Baugh. Lockyer's office declined to discuss further specifics of the case Thursday.

The letter, written in Spanish and sent to about 14,000 foreign-born Hispanic voters, said that immigrants voting in an election are committing a crime that "could result in jail time, and you will be deported for voting without a right to do so."

Immigrants who become U.S. citizens have the same voting rights as native-born citizens.

"If it is determined that this letter was directed to prevent a certain population from voting, then potentially there could have been a criminal act and there could be criminal charges," said Cynthia Magnuson of the U.S. Justice Department.

The letter also said a new federal computer system could verify the names of newly registered voters and that anti-immigration groups could access the information. Magnuson said there is no such system and no plans for one.

The mailer carried the letterhead of the Huntington Beach-based California Coalition for Immigration Reform. CCIR founder Barbara Coe condemned the letter and said her group had no part in it.

Throughout the Vietnamese community, there was criticism of the campaign tactic. A coalition of Hispanic, Asian-American and Muslim groups will hold a joint news conference today to denounce the letter.

Nguyen said he would hold a news conference today to discuss whether he will remain in the race. If he pulls out, his name would remain on the ballot.

Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Barbaro praised Baugh for calling on Nguyen to bow out. Barbaro also called on Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley to write voters who received the letter and encourage them to vote. Kelley said Thursday that he is not planning such a mailing.

Like Baugh, Barbaro doesn't believe Nguyen's denial of involvement with the controversy.

"All roads lead to Tan Nguyen," he said.

But Barbaro said that rather than hurt Democratic and Hispanic turnout, it could provide a boost. While Sanchez was already predicted to win easily, turnout will play a key role in the competitive match for state Senate between Democrat Lou Correa and Republican Lynn Daucher.

"The anger here is amazing," Barbaro said. "People are mobilizing. This is going to help elect Lou Correa."

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